"In wet and wintery conditions accidents happen at almost twice the rate as in the dry" - Stay safe this winter and get your winter tyres with STR now!

STR BMW Specialists Norwich, Norfolk

"In wet and wintery conditions accidents happen at almost twice the rate as in the dry" - Get your winter tyres now!

"In wet and wintery conditions accidents happen at almost twice the rate as in the dry" - Stay safe this winter and get your winter tyres with STR now!

Category: General

Across northern Europe some 60 million motorists, one driver in four, fits winter tyres as the cold months loom each year. Yet, despite the snow and ice of recent British winters, fitting specialised tyres for safer cold weather motoring has yet to catch on here.

That could be all about to change. Last winter suppliers were overwhelmed by demand for winter tyre and this time round manufacturers and distributers are urging UK motorists to order their winter tyres before the cold snap arrives. This winter looks like being as grim as the last three.

The safety argument for winter tyres is overwhelming said Stuart Jackson, Chairman of TyreSafe: “There is a misconception that cold weather tyres are not appropriate for drivers in the IK. This could not be further from the truth. Cold weather tyres provide much better grip in both wet and dry conditions when the temperature falls to 7°c and below, offering extra safety typically from October to March.” 7°c is the point at which rubber in year-round or “summer” tyres stiffens up so the tyre gives less grip.

The department of transport reports that in wet and wintery conditions, almost a fifth of accidents happen as the vehicle skids out of control, almost twice the rate as in the dry. Tests conducted by the British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association found that a car braking at 60mph on a wet road at 5°c stopped five meters shorter when fitted with winter tyres, which could be the difference between a nasty scare and a nasty smash.

It seems too that UK drivers like the idea of winter tyres. A survey by car supermarket Motorpoint found that 46% of UK motorists favour laws to make winter tyres compulsory, as is already the case in some European countries.